Effect Of Mirthful Laughter On Vascular Function

In contrast to the well-established scientific evidence linking negative emotional states (e.g., depression, anxiety, or anger) to increased risk for cardiovascular disease, much less is known about the association between positive emotional states (e.g., laughter, happiness) and cardiovascular health. We determined the effects of mirthful laughter, elicited by watching comic movies, on endothelial function and central artery compliance. Seventeen apparently healthy adults (23 to 42 years of age) watched 30 minutes of a comedy or a documentary (control) on separate days (crossover design). Heart rate and blood pressure increased significantly while watching the comedy, whereas no such changes were seen while watching the documentary. Ischemia-induced brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilation (by B-mode ultrasound imaging) increased significantly after watching the comedy (17%) and decreased with watching the documentary (-15%). Carotid arterial compliance (by simultaneous application of ultrasound imaging and applanation tonometry) increased (10%) significantly immediately after watching the comedy and returned to baseline 24 hours after the watching, whereas it did not change significantly throughout the documentary condition. Comedy-induced changes in arterial compliance were significantly associated with baseline flow-mediated dilation (r = 0.63). These results suggest that mirthful laughter elicited by comic movies induces beneficial impact on vascular function. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. (Am J Cardiol 2010;106:856-859)Kinesiology and Health Educatio

Age-associated Changes in Training Volume and Athletic Performance: Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Analyses of Masters Swimmers

Masters athletes make every effort to maintain or even improve the athletic performance they accomplished when they were young. However, a decline in athletic performance is one of the inevitable consequences of aging. Precise physiological mechanisms of age-related decrease in athletic performance are not known but it is thought to be driven by decreases in exercise training stimuli. PURPOSE: We determined the influence of changes in training volume with aging on swimming performance by using both cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches. METHODS: Competitive swimmers who were members of the US Masters Swimming association were included if they had logged their yearly training volume and had participated in 50-yard freestyle events at a USMS meet between 2011 and 2015. A total of 692 and 98 swimmers aged 20-88 years were studied in the cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Multiple regression and mixed effects multiple regression models were used with gender as a covariate. The longitudinal data was then centered around different ages to find the age at which training is a significant predictor of performance. RESULTS: Both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses showed no significant associations between swimming training volume and age. In the longitudinal analyses, training volume was not significant as a predictor in swimming performance for younger swimmers (53 years and younger). In middle-aged swimmers (54-79 years), increases in training volume resulted in mildly better swimming performance (i.e., 3 miles/month increases in training volume were related to .05 sec better swimming time). Increases in training volume with advancing age had more significant effects on swimming performance in older swimmers (80 years and older) (i.e., 3 miles/month increases in training volume were associated with .27 sec better swimming time). CONCLUSION: In younger swimmers, changes in training volume did not have any significant impact on swimming performance. However, in middle-aged and older swimmers, there was a graded relationship between yearly increases in training volume and swimming performance such that the impact of training volume on swimming performance appears to become greater with advancing age

Sexual Function, Behavior, and Satisfaction in Master Athletes

Sexual function and satisfaction are good indicators of overall life satisfaction and important elements of successful aging. Currently, it is not clear if maintaining habitual exercise into later life would yield the benefits of maintaining sexual activity and satisfaction. PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between sustained participation in competitive exercise and its effects on sexual function, behavior, and satisfaction. METHODS: A total of 166 masters athletes (97 men; 57±13 years) who had been training 45.6±15.9 years in various sports disciplines including swimming, cycling, and running completed a comprehensive questionnaire. On average, the participants were involved in aerobic and resistance trainings 5 times and 2 times per week, respectively. The data of the questionnaire response were compared with the existing survey data on the general population. RESULTS: Almost 80% of the athletes reported very good or excellent overall health status, and ~75% were married. The presence of impotence emerged in the 50s and increased thereafter with aging. More than 80% of the athletes had a sexual desire at least once a week with a large discrepancy between genders (CONCLUSION: Masters athletes demonstrate high sexual function and satisfaction to later ages

Water Immersion Skin Wrinkling: The Influence of Age, Sex, and Adiposity

From the evolutionary perspective, water immersion skin wrinkling (WISW) is the perceived water drainage to enhance grip in wet conditions. In the modern medicine, it is a noninvasive test of limb sympathetic function and can be used to assess peripheral neuropathy. WISW occurs as sympathetically-mediated contraction of subcutaneous glomus bodies after perturbation of ion concentration in palmar sweat glands. This phenomenon has not been studied well. Currently, it is not clear if common demographic variations (e.g., age, sex, and adiposity) that impact overall cardio-autonomic health status also affect WISW. Purpose: The purpose of the present study is to determine if peak WISW is modulated by age, sex, and body adiposity. Additionally, we addressed if such phenomenon is associated with osmotic reactions or edema. Methods: So far 23 apparently healthy adults (11 females) aged 36.5±18.4 years were studied. Participants’ hands were submersed in 40°C water for 30 minutes with degree of wrinkling being assessed via 5-point scale (0 to 4) at 10-minute intervals. Final ratings for digits 2-5 were summed and used to determine peak WISW with a score of 16 being the highest and 0 being the lowest possible scores. Additionally, hand and forearm volume were measured via water displacement before and after submersion to quantify hand volume expansion. Results: Peak WISW ranged from 2 to 16 with the mean (±SEM) score of 13.2±0.9. Peak WISW was moderately correlated with age (r=-0.37) but was not correlated with BMI (r=-0.16) or body fat percentage (r=-0.09). Males demonstrated a greater degree of WISW with a mean rating of 15 compared with females with a mean rating of 11 (p\u3c0.05). Hand and forearm volume did not change significantly with water immersion (505±98 vs. 515±99 ml). Changes in hand and forearm volume were not associated with peak WISW (r=-0.03). Conclusion: The present findings indicate that water immersion skin wrinkling varies widely with age and sex, and is not associated with body adiposity, edema or osmotic reactions

No Changes in Appetite-Related Hormones Following Swimming and Cycling Exercise Interventions in Adults with Obesity

International Journal of Exercise Science 13(2): 1819-1825, 2020. Swimming is a favorable and ideal modality of exercise for individuals with obesity and arthritis as it encompasses a minimal weight-bearing stress and a reduced heat load. However, the available evidence indicates that regular swimming may not be effective in reducing body weight and body fatness. A current hypothesis is that exercise in cold water stimulates appetite. We determined the effect of swimming training on appetite-related hormones. Thirty-nine adults with obesity and osteoarthritis were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of supervised swimming or cycling training. In the initial few weeks, participants exercised for 20-30 minutes/day, 3 days/week, at an exercise intensity of 40-50% of heart rate reserve (HRR). Subsequently, the intensity and duration of exercise were progressively increased to 40-45 minutes/day, 3 days/week, at an intensity of 60-70% of HRR. Fasting plasma concentrations of ghrelin, insulin, leptin, and peptide YY did not change with the swimming or cycling exercise training (p\u3e0.05). Swimming exercise did not negatively influence appetite-related hormones in adults with obesity and osteoarthritis to impair weight loss

The Effects of Fluid Milk in Attenuating Postprandial Hyperglycemia in Adults with Android Obesity

BACKGROUND: Postprandial glucose levels are more predictive of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than fasting levels and elevated postprandial glucose negatively impacts vascular reactivity and endothelial function. Chronic high consumption of milk and dairy products are associated with reduced risk of diabetes and CVD due, in part, to changes in peripheral vasodilation and hemodynamics. PUROSE: To determine whether a single serving of non-fat milk could attenuate postprandial hyperglycemia independent of its protein content. METHODS: In a randomized controlled crossover study, twenty-nine overweight/obese adults had their body composition determined via DEXA and completed an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) of 75g glucose combined with either non-fat milk (227g) or an experimental control beverage (12g lactose +8g protein + 207g water) separated by a one-week washout period. Blood glucose, insulin, and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) measurements were conducted during the postprandial period. For analysis, participants were divided into tertiles of android body fat to determine its effects on postprandial metabolism. RESULTS: Regardless of treatment, blood sugar and insulin concentration increased, with no significant difference between trials. The highest tertile of android body fat (\u3e50%) displayed attenuated hyperglycemic responses when supplemented with non-fat milk compared with the experimental control beverage (pCONCLUSION: Individuals with android body fat may benefit by consuming a single serving of milk with a high carbohydrate meal

An Assessment of the Potential for Standardizing Various Measures of Arterial Stiffness

Arterial stiffness is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Different measures of arterial stiffness have been used to assess the impacts of exercise training interventions. One of the primary problems faced by investigators conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses is the lack of standardized methodology to evaluate and compare efficacies of the existing and newly conducted exercise interventions on arterial stiffness. The reference standard measure of arterial stiffness is pulse wave velocity (PWV) while other commonly-used methodologies are ultrasound-derived arterial compliance and distensibility. PURPOSE: To describe standardized equations to convert common ultrasound-based measures of arterial stiffness (arterial compliance, distensibility, ß-stiffness index, elastic modulus) to local PWV. METHODS: We first conducted a literature search to derive conversion equations. For measures of arterial stiffness that conversion equations cannot be used, we generated regression equations using the accumulated dataset available in the laboratory. Subsequently, these equations were cross-validated in a well-controlled laboratory-based study, in which all measures of arterial stiffness were collected in 49 apparently healthy participants. RESULTS: The literature search revealed that some measures of arterial stiffness such as distensibility coefficient (DC) can be converted to local PWV using the Bramwell-Hill model (PWV = [p.DC]1/2) with an assumption of p=1059 kg/m3. Ultrasound-based measures of arterial stiffness were strongly and significantly associated with local PWV with Pearson r ranging from 0.74 to 0.99 (p \u3c 0.01). Converted local PWV using regression models were correlated with each other (r=0.73 to 0.97, pCONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that commonly-used measures of ultrasound-based arterial stiffness can be converted to local PWV and can be compared with a reference standard measure. These conversions can be used in systematic reviews and meta-analyses to synthesize evidence across studies to detect effects

Prevalence of periCardial effusion in patients with rheumatoid arthritis -An echocardiographic study-

In order to determine the incidence of pericardial effusion in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), echocardiographic studies were performed on patients with classical or definite RA as determined by ARA criteria, none of whom showed any clinical cardiac symptoms at the time of examination. Of 50 RA patients studied so far, fifteen (30%) showed evidence of posterior pericardial effusion, as recorded on the strip charts. Additionally, in one full-blown case of rheumatoid vasculitis, massive accumulation of pericardial fluid was demonstrable. Compared to those without pericardial effusion, patients shown to have pericardial fluid tended to have decreased RBC, Hct, Hgb, serum protein concentration and increased ESR. The statistical difference between the two groups was significant (P<0.005). The most conspicuous difference between the two, however, was noted in the degree of hypoalbuminemia that is more profound in the effusion positive group (P<0.005). The possible cause of fluid retention in the pericardial cavity in RA was briefly discussed

Progression of Performance Over Four Decades in Masters’ Athletics

Athletic performance at the highest level of competition has improved in a variety of sports over the last 40 years, most notably in swimming and track. Although improvements in performance have also been observed among masters’ athletes (ages 35 and older), data concerning masters’ athletic performance have only been certain since the 1970’s. Whether the magnitude of improvement in athletic performance from 1970 onward is different between elite and masters’ athletes, as well as between different age groups of masters’ athletes, has yet to be determined. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in progression of athletic performance between different age groups of masters’ athletes and elite athletes. METHODS: Track (100m and 400m running) and swimming (100m freestyle) times were collected from the World Masters Track and Field and the USA Swimming database. The time span ranged from 1975 to 2013. Age groups were separated into eight 5-year segments spanning from age 40 to 79 years. The top three times of each age group for each year were selected. Moreover, the top 3 track and field and swimming times of any age were collected for the same years to represent a reference standard from which to compare age-group records. A multiple linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the effect of the age × year × sex interaction with SPSS software. When a significant interaction was present, a comparison of slope between age groups and sexes was performed. RESULTS: There were significant age × year × sex interactions in all athletic events examined. Improvements in race times were significant (p\u3c0.05) in both sexes and for age groups 45 and older. Relative improvements in the 45+ age groups were significantly different from the fastest running times. The general trends were similar for 400m middle-distance running. The progressions of 100m swimming times were significant (p\u3c0.05) for all age groups and for both sexes. Analysis of differences in the slope showed that older athletes and women had a greater slope of improvement in performance during that time. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that there have been significant improvements in athletic performance in masters’ athletes aged 45 and older in the track and field events, and those aged 40 and older in the swimming events in the past thirty nine years